Registering mechanism.



35 y lparts which will be set forth withparticula'rity in the following description and UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE.

, MATTHEW IBION AND ADOLF EDUARD MELLER, 0F LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

REGISTERING MECHANISM.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

Original application illed April 11, 1914, Serial No. 831,237... Divided and this application led July 2, 1914.

. Serial No. 848,601.

To all whom it may concern:

' Beit known thatwe, MATTHEW IiiioN and ADoLF E.MUELLER, citizens of the United States, and residents of Louisville, in the county of J eli'erson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and Improved Registering Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates lto the registering mechanism especially adapted for speedometers or other instruments .wherein it is desirable to reset the number wheels or indicating elements back to zero or initial position.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a simple, eliective and novel measuring mechanism which is reliable and accurate in'use and so designed that the number wheels or indicating elements will be reset instantly to zero position, merely by the pressing of a push button or an equally simple operation.

Another object of the invention' is the provision, in connection with each number wheel, of means for moving the wheel step by step, in combination with a device tending'consta-ntly to restore the wheel to initial position, but which device is operative only when the first-'mentioned means is released, whereupon the number wheel is automatically returned to zero position.

lVith such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of claims appended hereto.

In Athe accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention, and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, Figure l is a rear view of a registering mechanism with tlie parts in position for operation; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the resetting means as just having finished resetting the number wheels for returning them to zero position; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of two of the number wheels and `associated operating means: and Fig. l is a' plan view of a portion of the registeringmechanism with the operating means of one oi' the wheels in section.

It will be understood that the registering mechanism can be used with various kinds of instruments in which time, distance or any other quantity is to be measured.

In the present instance 1 designates a plate which has suitably arranged openings 2 4for exposing the nuinber-carrying wheels or other elements. Behind the openings 2 are the wheels a', u, (d, so that the number of each wheel will be exposed, the numbers of the respective wheels representing units, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.v On the spindle 3 of each number dial is a ratchet wheel i and also a lixed pawl or finger 5. Cope `ating with the toothed wheels i are pawls 6 that are pivoted on swinging cai'- riers 7, and on each carrier is a spring 8 which has its free end engaging the pawl G thereon to maintain such pawl in operative relation with its associated toothed wheel i'. The cari'ier 'T for the first number dial a' is fulcrumed at il on a lever 10 and has Aa depending arin 11 so arranged that its lower extremity lies in the circular path of travel of a pin 1:2. or equivalent actuator. so that, as the latter moves. it will engage the depending arm l1 and cause the latter to move to the left, Fig. 1, against the tension of the spring 13, and finally the pin 12 will pass under the arm 11, so that the spring 13 will restore the latter to normal position. In this manner the upper pawl-carrying extremity of the carrier T is oscillated through an arc suilieient to cause the pawl (3 to turn the wheel l of the iirst number dial a one step. After the number wheel or dial a makes one revolution, the finger 5 thereof engages the second carrier 7 and rocks the same to thc right, Fig. 2. and causes its pawl i to move the number wheel u? one step, and this number wheel when completing one revolution will in turn move the third number wheel 03 one step. .\s allthe pawl carriers i' are mounted on the lever lll, which latter is fulcrumed at li in llli Casing lofftlie machine, it is'merely necessary to move the lever downwardly to diseii'gage the pawls of the carriers from the toothed vwheels i in order to enable the registerin i. niechanisinl to be reset to'zero position. This movementY of the lever 10 is performed by a push but-v ton l5 having a stem 16 slidable in a guide 17, with the lo'i'ver end' of the stem engaging a. shoulder 18yon the free end of the lever. A spring 19 is connected with the lever and serves to return the latter to initial position when pressure on the push button '15 is ,ref

leased, and the springalso maintains the lever normally raised, where the pawls will be operatively related to the toothed wheel 4. FQ prevent over-travel of the toothed wheel 4, each wheel has associated therewith a hold-back pawl 20, pivotedvat 21 and having on its free end a roller 22 which' enables the toothed. wheel 'to readily turn when it is actuated, but which is adapted to engage between two adjacent teeth' and hold the saine agaiiist-rotat-ioii as the actuating pawl 6 is retractin'gafter it has moved the toothed wheel one step.A Tliesestop pawls 20 are adapted to be released 4from the toothed wheels at the saine time the pawls 6 are re-l leased -for enabling the number wheels of the registering mechanism to be "sset, and for this purpose the upper ends otl t paw-ls 20 'have projections 225 which lie luider a common depressing lever. 24, which lever is fulcruiiied at 25'on the trameot' the device and has a free end 26 which is disposed in engagement with the push button 15, so that as thelatter pressed dowinvardllv, the lever 2i will move iii the saine direction iii opposition to its retractiiig spring 2T, whereby the said lever 24will tilt .the pawls 20 against the tension ot' their respective springs 2S, sothat the rollers 22- of the pawls will be raised out of engagement with the toothed wheels l. The resetting of the number wheels is eliected by each shaft 3 'thereof having a heart-shaped cani 2f) witlr which engages a roller 3001i a spring-pressed arm 31. The pressure of this arm' acts on its adjacent heart-cam in such .a manner that `tlie cam will be turned in one direction or the other until the roller 30 engages the portion of smallest radii, Awhichis ot' coursethe indentation of the heart cani, as clearly shown in Fig'. 3. When therollei's 30 are engaged with the recesses ot' their respective heart cams,y as showniii Fig. the number wheels or dials c', c2, a, a* will be so dis# posed that their zero vnumbers will l'be exposedthrough, the apertures 2 of the `face of the speedometer.

iFroin the foregoing description taken in This applicatie is a envision' Qf' ppiication Serial Number 831,237, and is made iii accordance witli'lttlie .requirements of they associated ratchet wheel. a spring operating `on the carrier to maintain the pawl thereof in engagement with its ratchet wheel, means connected with each nuiiibei-bearing eles" ment to actuate once in a revolution `the pawl carrieiuof the next wheel, a movable support for all the carriers,N and means for iiiov-ing,r the support to disengi/ge the pawls from the ratchet wheels." 9 I' 2; A. registering mechanisml comprising a *plurality of iiuiiib'er-beariiig elements hav-v in;r theirl axes spaced apart and the elements being in parallel planes, a ratchet wheel connected with each element, a pivoted car- -rier associated with each ratchet wheel, a

pawl oneach carrier eiigagiiigits associated ratchet wheel, means connected with each of the ratchet wheels to actuate once iii a revolution the 'carrier' associated with the next ratchet wheel, a lever on which the carriers arepivotally mounted,- iiieans acting on the lever to hold the pawls iioriiia'lliv in engagement with the ratchet wheels, and means for moving the lever t'o diseiigage the pawls from their ratchet wheels 3. registering mechanism comprising a pluralit-wY of nuiiiber-bea ring elements, means for moving one' e'leiiient by the'next step b'y step, a spring-pressed Ypivoted retarding iiieansfor each element, a ycain connected with each element, a member` constantly piessiiig oneach'caiii, said members having' their pivots coincident with the pivots on the retardiiig means, anda device for simultaneously releasing-the retarding means for tlie'nuiiiber-bearing elements to permit the said members and cams to reset the numberbearing elements to zero position. l

4. A registering mechanism comprising a plurality of numberbearing elements mounted on separate axes and disposed parallel` a ratchet wheel connected with each niiiiiber-beariiig element, a pawl associated with each ratchet wheel to move the saine step b v step,la -iiiovable support on. which the pawls are mounted, means moving with a nuiiiber-bearing element and operating on the pawl of the iiext'element, whereby the rot-ation. of one element will move the next element one step, asetl of stop pawls separately pivotally mounted to` engage the ratchet wheels and located at thel side of the latter opposite from the jfirst-mentioned` pawls, a movable member for simultaneously releasing the stop pawls, and a com` mon actuator for the said support and movable member to move all the pawls out of engagement with the ratchet wheel.

A registering mechanism comprising a plurality of separately mounted numberbearing elements, a ratchetjvheel connected with each element, operating pawls engaging the respective ratchet wheels, stop pawls engaging the, ratchet wheels at points opposite from the operating pawls, means whereby one number-bearing element moves the operating pawl for the next nulnberratchet wheel to turn' the same step by step,

an independently movable carrier for each `pawl, means 'for operating-the carrier of the first element to turn the ,latter a step, means movable with each element to actuate the carrier associated with a succeeding ele' ment, a common movable support for the carriers, an actuator for moving the support to position where thc pawls will be simultaneously disengaged from their associated ratchet wheels, and means for returning the indicating elements to initial position when said pawls are disengaged.

T. In a registering'mechanism, the combination of a plurality of indicating elements, each rotatable in one direction for counting and in the other direction when resetting,

a ratchet wheel' connected with each element, a pawl associated with each ratchet wheel to turn the saine step by step, an independently movable carrier for each pawl, means for operating the carrier of the first element to turn the latter a step, means inovable Awith'each element to actuate the carrier associated with a succeeding element, a

commmi lmovable support for the carriers,"

anl actuator for moving .the support to posi'- tow wnere the pawls will be simultaneously disengaged from their associated `ratchet wheels, pawls associated with the ratchet wheels to prevent back travel thereof, a member simultaneously acting on the lastmentioned pawls to release the same from the ratchet wheels, and said member being operatively related with the actuator to be moved thereby, and means for restoring the indicating elements to init-ial position when the pawls are released from the ratchet wheels. Y

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BLVITHEW IRIOX.A

ADOLF EDUARD MUELLER.

lvitnesses Fano J. Riemen, B. M. HYDE. 

